Feeding device for oranges and other articles.



PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

M. H. BALLARD. FEEDING DEVICE FOR ORANGBS AND OTHER ARTICLES.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 8, 1905.

4 SHEETSSHEET 1.

NH E 14ft inesa es No. 820,378. PATENTED MAY'S, 190s. M. 1-1. BALLARD.

FEEDING DEVICE FOR ORANGES AND OTHER ARTILBS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1905.

4 SHEETS-QEBET 2,

jweniaf, WK fiwzzwx PATENTED'MAY 8, 1906. M. H. BALLARD. FEEDING DEVICEFOR ORANGES AND OTHER ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1905.

4 SHEETS--SHEET 3 llfiinew es,

No. 820,378. PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

' M. H. BALLARD.

FEEDING DEVICE FOR ORANGES AND OTHER ARTICLES.

' APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

o o 6-"6 o o connection with the accom anying is shown for feedingoranges and t UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

MILTON H. BALLARD, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO'TRIPP FRUITWRAPPING MACHINE COMPANY, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS,

ACORPORA'IION OF MAINE.

No. s 2o,37s I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 1906.

Application filed November 8, 1905. Serial No. 286,343.

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, MILTON H. BALLARD, of Lynn, county of Essex, Stateof Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Feeding Devices forOranges and other Articles, of which the following descri tion, in

awin 's, is a specification, like 0 aracters on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

In another application, Serial No. 239,055, filed by me December 30,1904, an apparatus er articles comprising, essentially, a decliningchute made wide enough to provide for the simultaneous delivery ofseveral oranges arranged side by side in a row extending transverselyacross it, a conveyer adapted to receive the oranges a row at a time,and means controlling the delivery of the oranges a row at a time fromthe chute to the conveyer. In said application the conveyer movescontinuously and is constructed and arranged to receive upon it theoranges arranged in a row and in contact with each other, and anintermittingly operated lifter is rovided by which the endmost orange oft e row is removed from the conveyer, thereby providing for deliveringthe oranges intermittingly. In said application means are provided forpreventing any of the oranges which are supported by the conveyer frombeing forced upward and crowded out of the row, a result otherwiseliable to happen, and means are also provided for returning the surplusoranges, if any, from the conveyer to the declining chute in case moreoranges should be delivered to the conveyer than canbe accommodated byit.

In practice I find many objections to the use of a conveyer which isconstructed and arranged to receive the oranges in, a row in contactwith each other; and one of the objects of my present invention is toimprove the construction of the conveyer to the end that the orangeswhile arranged in a row are separated from each other.

Another object of my present invention is i to construct the conveyer so.as to deliver the oranges singly or intermittingly to a centeringdevice or holder or other thing, although movin continuously, to therebyavoid t e necessity of employm a lifter or any other means for removingthe endmost orange. of

ltl f e row and also the means for operating said 1 ter.

In my present invention the conveyer is. arranged in front of thedeclining chute, and

means of a rotating device or other form oi controlling device theoranges are delivered from the chute to the conveyer a row at a timenotwithstandin said conveyer is moving continuously. should be deliveredto the conveyer at a time than can be accommodated by it means areprovided for removing the su lus oranges and for returning them to thedec 'ng chute; but especial provision, however, is made for retaimng asingle supplementary orange or, it may be, two supplementary orangeswhich are superimposed on the row of oranges carried by the conveyer andwhich are rolled along on top of said row of oranges as the row oforanges moves beneath them until such time as a vacant ocket in theconveyer arrives beneath one of them, if two are provided for, intowhich it will fall by gravity. In fact, to avoid such a vacancy I maypur- 'posely place a single orange on top of the row oforanges whichwill be rolled along thereon until a vacant pocket arrives beneath it,and in such case if one or more additional or surplus oranges should bedelivered to the conveyer before said sup lementary orange drops into avacarltqlpoc et such additional or surplus oranges clining chute. Thusprovision is'made for fillin vacant pockets, the object being to avoi avacancyin an event if possible. Any ordinary number 0 surplus orangescan n'case more oranges be returned to the debe returned easily to thedeclining chute.

Hence the parts are preferably so timed that more oranges will bedelivered -to the conveyer than can be accommodated by it; but if avacant pocket still exists in the conveyer then when said vacant pocketarrives at the delivery end thereof no orange will be delivered to thecentering device or holder or other thing, and as the apparatus isintended to be used in conjunction with a wrapping-machine constructedand arranged to operate automatically, the operation of the machinebeing checked by the absence of an orange, such non-dellvery of theorange will operate to stop the machine.

Figure 1 shows in side elevation aieeding device for oranges and otherarticles embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the feedingdevice shown in Fig. 1. Fi 3 is a vertical section of the feeding devices own in Fig. 1, taken on the dotted line 3 3. Fig. 4 is a sectionaldetail of the controlling device by which the oranges are delivered arow at a time to the conve er. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail showing inongi'tudlnal section a ortionof the conveyer and means for hol ingcarried the conveyer. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the conveyer shownin Fig. 5 taken on the dotted line 6 6.

. The oranges or other articles which are to be fed toa-Wrapping-machine or other machine are dropped onto a declining chutehaving a declrning bottom wall 400 and a fixedside wall 401 and amovable side wall 402. The side wall 402 has near its lower end aslotted ear 403, through the slot of Which'a pin 404 passes, which isscrewed into any one of a series of holes 405 in the bottom wall, andsaid side wall has at its upper enda slotted car 406, which engages anypart of a horizontal flange 407, rojected from an upright support 408,whic is located at the upper'end of the declining wall 400. Thedeclining chute is made wide enough to provide for the simultaneouspassage of several oranges arranged side by side in a row, and at thelower end of said chute a rotating device is provided adapted to takethe endmost row of oranges from the chute and deliver it to a travelingconveyer.-

The rotating device consists of a shaft 410, having fixed to it twodisks 412 at or near its opposite ends, and several horizontal bars 413,attachedat their ends to said disks, three such bars being herein shown,located at equal distances apart, and saidIdisks 412 each 7 have radialslots 414, through which rods 415 and said rods 415 extend beyond freelg,riass, the is s 412 and pass through curved slots 416, formed in disks417, two in number, loosely mounted upon the shaft 410- 'ust back of thedisks 412, and the ends of sai rods are screw-threaded to receive uponthem nuts, 418. When the nuts are tightened, the loose.

disks 417 are clamped against the fixed disks 412 and the rods 415rigidly supported; but whenever said nuts are loosened the disks 417 canbe turned on the shaft 410- as an axis and the rods 415 moved along inthe curved slots 416, and thereby caused to move along in the radialslots 414 in the fixed disks, being thereby adjusted toward and from theshaft 410. The rods 415 are located in radial planes with the bars 413and as they are moved in and out will occupy different distances fromsaid bars.

The bars '413 and rods 415 together form the orange-engagingportions ofthe rotating device, and as the shaft bearing them revolves eachorange+engaging portion will take chute passes by gravity from therotating deown sedate the endmost row of oranges-from the chute anddeliver it to a conveyer, thereby delivering to the conveyersimultaneouslya number stance, when the rods 415 are set uite close twosupplementary oranges above the row' lower end of the bottom wall ismade eXtensi-- ble.

420 re resents an extension-plate which is attache to a slotted plate421, through the slot of which passes a screw 422, which secures saidplate to the bottom wall 400 and provides for its longitudinal movement.The shaft of the rotating device has secured to it a sprocket-wheel 423,around which passes a sprocket-chain 424, which passes around asprocketwheel 425, secured to a shaft 426, bearing a worm-wheel 427,which engagesa worm 428, secured-to a driving-shaft a. The row oforanges taken from the declining vice onto a declining Wall 429 and thenonto the movable conveyer.

The movable conveyer consists of apair of endless s rocket-chains 430430, supported u on an moved continuously by two pairs 0 s rocket-wheels431 432, which are located at t e opposite ends thereof and dis osed ina pxoximately the same hoiizonta lane.

he spr ocket-wheels turn on horizonta axes, so that the sprocket-chainsare disposed in vertical planes and side byv side. The sp; ocket-chainsare connected together at regular intervals by cross-bar's 433, whichare preferably covered or inclose'd byrubber or felt or other yieldinmaterial, and they are spaced apart su ciently to provide spaces orrecesses each adapted to receivea single orange. By covering thecross-bars with yielding material or otherwise providing yieldingcrossare I obviate bruising the fruit as it is dropped between thecross-bars. Between the chains 430 and at'regular intervals apalt,at'points approximately equidistant between the cross-bars, plates 438are arranged, having upturned ends 439, which are rigidly secured to thes rocket-chains 430, and therefore incidentally serve as a means forconnectin the two sprocketchains together, and the upturnedv ends 439are-made long enough to sup ort the lates some little distance from thec v ains, an they extend inward from the chains to serve as bottom latesfor the orange-receiving pockets whic are formed by said platesin con-.

. that as t seem V junction with the cross-bars and-chains. The endlessconveyor is thus provided or formed with a series of orange-receivingpockets arranged at re lar intervals thereon. Thecross-bars' an bottomplates are arra ed between and connected to the adjacent si es of thechains,'so as to between and not engage the sprocket-w eels as thechains are moved along. By rigidly connecting the bottom plates to thechains it will be seen e chains pass around the sprocketwheels thepockets become inverted, and

therebycause or ermit the oranges contained therein to fa 1 out as thepass around the sprocket-wheels at the de 'very end of the conveyer.

The construction of the endless conveyer herein shown forms thesubject-matter of another application, Serial No. 311,677, filed by meApril 14, 1906, hence is not herein claimed. I f

One of the airs of sprocket-wheels, as 432 is positively riven tocontinuously move the conveyer, and to accom lish this result saidsprocket-wheels are iigi y secured to a shaft 437, to which asprocket-wheel 434 is rigidlyshaft n, whic secured, and a SP1ocket-chain 435 asses around said sprocket-wheel 434 an also around asprocket-wheel 436; which is secured to the shaft u.- The endlessconveyer is located in front of the declining chute 400 and moves in adirection at right angles to the movement of the orange passin down saiddeclining chute. The shaft 11. as secured to it a beveled gear n, whichis engaged by a beveled ear n secured to an obli ue has secured to it abeve ed pinion n, which engages a beveled ear n, which is secured to t emaindiiving-s aft f The endless conveyer is driven continuously andreceives the oranges a row at a time from the rotating device or othercontrolling device, and therefore is timed relative to the ,movement ofsaid rotating device to present sever al vacant pockets thereto eachtime said device delivers a row of oranges, and said continuously-movingendless conveyer delivers the oranges singly as the pockets pass aroundthe sprocket-wheels 432. and are thereby inverted. The oran es as theyare delivered singly fall onto a declining chute 448 and then pass to acentering device or holder, which 1s herein shown'as a ring 267, havinga set of depending arms a.

Referring to the means provided for re,- taining one ofmoresupplementary oranges in proper position to readily enter a vacantpocket in the conveyer, if one should exist, 450 represents a roller,preferably fluted longitudinally, which is located 'ust above andtransversely with respect to t e endless conveyer, and in such ositionit is designed to act as a stop to chec the onward progress of asupplementary orange. The said roller is secured to a shaft-451, whichhas its bearings at one end of an arm 452, the opposite end of which ispivoted to a bracket 453, secured to the frame. The fluted roller henceextends laterally 452. he pivoted arm 452 is held down by means of aspring, so that the roller will be supported with a yielding pressure ata suitab 0 elevation above the conveyer, and, as herein shown, anupright pin 454 extends through the pivoted arm 452, the lower end ofwhich extends downward and is pivotally or otherwiseattached at 455tonne of the side walls between which the conveyer moves, and the u erend extends upward and is surrounds y a spiral spring 456, the lower endof which bears upon or against the arm 452 and acts to press said armdown against a. nut on the pin and the upper end of which bears a ainsta nut 457 on t e pin. 'The shaft 451 of t e roller has secured to itabelt-pulley, around which a belt 458 passes, which also passes around abelt-' ulley on the pivot-shaft ofthe arm, and anot er belt-pulley isalso so cured to said ivot-shaft, around which a belt 459 passes, w 'chasses around a belt-pulley secured to the she t 11., thus providingmeans for rotating the roller 450. The roller is re tated in thedirection of the-arrow, Fig. 5, and is supported at a suitable elevationabove the conveyer to engage an orange-which is superimposed on the rowof oranges carried by the conveyer, and the function of said roller isto check the progress of said superimposed or supplementary orange andalso turn it, to there y roll it alon as the row of oranges passesbeneath it. en a vacant ocketin the conveyer arrives in position eneaththe said supplementary orange, it

will fall by gravity into said pocket. In practice I refer to makeprovision for two such supp ementary oranges, and in such case I provideanother fluted roller 450, which is supported by a ivoted arm 452 androtated by means of a elt 458, all constructed substantially the same asthe correfrom\one side of said pivoted arm sponding parts hereinbeforedescribed. The

arm 452" is ivoted to the extremity of the arm452. T 'esecondsupplementaryorange, which is superimposed on the row carried by theconveyer, engages the roller 450. provision is made for twosupplementary oranges to be used to fill the vacant pockets. With thetwo su plementary oranges in engagement with t e two rollers, the nextsurplus orange whi ch is delivered to the conveyer will be carried alongby the conveyer until it strikes the first supplementary orange, whichThus is being turned by the roller 450,'and as said orange is beingturned by the roller the orange which moves into engagement with it willtend to crowd it along and, assisted by the roller,will cause it to passover the roller. The orange which thus engaged and ushed along thesupplementary orange will t en become the supplementary orange. Theorange which passed over the roller then moves along into engagementwith the second su plementary orange and crowds it against t e roller450 and by the assistance of said roller causes said supplementaryorangeto ass over said roller, and the-orange which lies thus pushed thesecond supplementary orange along then becomes the second sup-'- ing amovable bottom 460 for a portion of' its length, and the lower end ofsaid trough terminates adjacent the lower end of an inclined endlessbelt 461, which is located at the end of the machine and which hasseveral orange-carriers 462 thereon; which take the oranges from theexit of the trough 460 and deliver them to the declining chute 400. Thelower end of the endless belt 461 passes around a ulleysecured to ashaft 463, havinga beve ear 464 secured to it, which is engaged by aevel-gear 465, secured to a shaft 466, to which a sprocket-wheel issecured around which passes a sprocket-chainv 467, which passes around asprocket-wheel secured to the shaft u The movable bottom 460*, whichextends along a portion of the declining trough 460, is made as a widebelt which passes, over two drums, one of which is mounted idly' on theshaft a, and the other is secured to a shaft 461 .and to said shaft 461a sprocket-wheel 462 is. secured, which is'engalgedand driven by thesprocket-chain 435. t will thus be seen that the surplus oranges areeasily removed and returned to the declining chute, so that even thoughthe parts are so timed as to purposely provide surplus oranges to fillany vacant pockets whlch may exist in the conveyer the operation of the,feeding device will not be aflected.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is- I 1.- In amachine for feeding oranges andother articles, the combination of a declining chute made wide enough toprovide for the simultaneous delivery of several oranges arranged sideby side in a row extending transversely across it, means for controllingthe delivery of the oranges therefrom, a row at a time, a-conveyerhaving pockets, and means for movingv it to bring the pockets thereofinto position to receive the oranges a row at a time, substantially asdescribed. I

2. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a'declining chute, made wide enough to provide for. the simultaneousdelivery of several oranges, arranged side by side in a row, extendingtrans versely across it, a rotating device controlling the delivery ofthe oranges therefrom, a-

row at a time, a conveyer having pockets, and I means for movingitrelative to the rotating device to bring the pockets thereof intoposition to receive the oranges a row at a time, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a declining chute. made wide enough to provide for the simultaneousdelivery of several oranges, ar-

ranged side by side in a row extending transversely across it, aconveyer having pockets,

deliver the same to the conveyer, and means for moving said conveyerrelatlve to the rotating device to bring the pockets thereofinto'position to'receive the oranges from said rotating device,substantially as described.

4. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a-declin-ing chute made wide enough to provide for the simultaneousdelivery of several oranges arranged side by side in a row extendingtransversely across it, a conveyer having pockets, movin at right anglesthereto, means for con-tro lin the delivery of the oranges; a'row 7 arotating device adapted to receive the endmost row of oranges from saidchute and to at a time om the chute to the conveyer and means for movingthe conveyer relative tothe controlling means to bring the pocket"thereof into position to receive the oranges a row at a time,substantially as described.

5. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a declining chute made wide enough to provide'for thesimultaneousdelivery of several oranges arranged side by side in a row extendingtrans versely across it, an endless conveyer having pockets, passingaround sprocket-wheels, a

.chute leading from one end of said conveyerinto which the orangesfallas the pockets are inverted when passing around the sprocket+ wheels,and means for moving said conveyer, substantially as described.

6. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto, andmeans for holding one or more supplementary oran es-iriposition toenter'a vacant pocket in sai conveyer, substantially as described.

7. In a machine for feeding orangesand other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, meansfor delivering oranges thereto, andmeans for holding: .one or more supplementary oranges above the conveyerin position to drop into avacant pocket there'- in when said vacantpocket arrives beneath it, substantially as described.

I 8. Ina machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto, andmeans for supporting one or moresupplementary oranges on top of the rowof oranges carried by the conveyer, substantially as described.

9. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto, andmeans for supporting one or more supplementary oranges on top of the rowof oranges carried by the conveyer and for turning them, substantiallyas described.

10. In a machinefor feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto, andmeans for independently supporting supplementary oranges on top of therow of oranges carried by the conveyer and for continuously turningthem, substantially as described. 1

11. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto, sidewalls for holding one or more supplementary oranges "on top of the rowof;

oran es carried by the conveyer, a stop for chec 'ng the progress ofeach supplementary orange, whereby each supplementary orange is held ata predetermined point, substantially as described.

12. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto, sidewalls for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of the row oforanges carried by the'conve'yer, a rotating rogress of each supstop forchecking the for turning it, subplementary orange an stantially asdescribed. J

13. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto,sidewalls for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of therow of oranges married by the conveyer, a stop for checking the progressof each sup lementary orange, made of considerable less height than thediameter of the orange which engages it, substantially as described.

14. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto, sidewalls for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of the row oforanges carried by the conveyer, a rotating stop forchecking-thefrogress of each su plementary orange an versely across thepath of having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto, side wallsfor holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of the-row of ora"es carried by the conveyer, a rotating flute roller for-eachsupplementary orange, extending transversely across the path of progressof. said supplementary oranges, which checks theirprogress and alsoturns them, substantially as described.

16. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the'combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto, sidewalls for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of the row ofora es carried by the conveyer} a rotating flute roller for eachsupplementary orange, which checks their progress and also turns themsaid roller being made of considerable less diameter than the diameterof the supplementary oranges, substantially as described.

17. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto, sidewalls for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of the row oforan .es carried'by the conveyer, a stop extending transversel acrossthe path of progs ress of each sup ementary orange and a yieldingsupportor said stop, substantially as described.

18. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto, sidewalls for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of the row oforanges carried by the conveyer, a roller for each supplementary orange,extended trans- Iprogress of saidsup lementary orange, a yie ding-s11port for eac roller, and means for rotating tlie rollers to turn the suplementary oranges, substantially as descri ed.

19. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto;means for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of the row ofor-- anges carried by the conveyer, and means [or removing the surplusoranges, substantially as described,

20. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto,means for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of the row oforanges carried by-the conveyer, and means for removing the surplusoranges and for returning them to the means employed for delivering theoranges to the conveyer, substantially as described.

21. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto,means for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of-the row oforanges carried by the conveyor, and a declining chute adapted toreceive the surplus oranges, substantially as described.

22. Ina machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto,means for holding supplementary oran es on top of the row of orangescarried by tl ie conveyer, a declining chute adapted to receive thesurplus-oranges, and means for conveyin them from said chute to themeans employe for deliverin them to the conveyer, substantially as.escribed.

23. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto,means for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of the row oforanges carried by the conveyor, a declining chute adapted to receivethe surplus oranges, and a conveyer for returning said oranges to thechute from whence they came, substantially as described.

245. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, thecombination of a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering orangesthereto, means for holding one or more supplementary oranges in positionto enter a vacant pocket in said conveyer, and means for removing thesurplus oranges, substantially as described.

25. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto,means for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of the row oforanges carried by the conveyer, a stop for checking the pro ess of eachsupplementary orange over whici the oranges may pass, and means forremovin the surplus oranges, substantially as descri ed.

26. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyor having pockets, means for del'rvering oranges thereto,means for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of the row oforanges carried by the conveyor, 2. stop for checking the progress ofeach supplementary orange over which the oranges'may pass, any' meansforremoving the surplus oranges and for returning them to the chute fromwhence they came, substantially as described.

27. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof a conveyer having pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto,means for holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of the row oforanges carried bythe conveyor, a roller for checking the progress ofeach supplementary orange over WhlCIl the orange may pass,

' means for rotating said roller, and a declining chute adapted toreceive the surplus oranges, substantially as described.

28. In a machine for feeding oranges and other articles, the combinationof aconveyer having-pockets, means for delivering oranges thereto, meansfor holding one or more supplementary oranges on top of. the row oforanges carried by the conveyer, a roller for checking the progress ofeach supplementary orange over'which the oranges may pass, means forrotating said roller, a declining chute adapted to receive the surplusoranges and means for conveying the oranges from said chute to the chutefrom whence they came, substantially as described. I

29. In a machine for feeding oranges andother articles, the combinationof adeclining chute made wide enough to provide'for the simultaneousdelivery of several oranges arranged side by side in a row extendintransversely across it, means for controlllng the delivery of theoranges therefrom, a row at a time, a conveyor having ockets, and meansfor moving it to bring t e pockets thereof into position to receive theoranges a row at a time, and to invert the pockets successively todischarge the oranges singly, substan-;

tially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

MILTON H. BALLARD.

Witnesses:

B. J. NOYES, H. B. DAVIS.

